Unsolved Surrey homicide Crime Stoppers’ ‘Crime of the Week’

Crime Stoppers’ featured “Crime of the Week” is the shooting murder of a Surrey man who police say was an innocent victim.

It’s a weekly fan-out intended to help investigators solve crimes and tipsters could be eligible for a $2,000 reward if their anonymously given information leads to an arrest and charge.

This fan-out is for the week of July 30 to Aug. 5.

Jatinder “Michael” Sandhu, 28, was shot in the head and a friend of his was shot in the arm as both sat in a parked car in a driveway in the 14300-block of 90A Avenue in Whalley on Saturday, July 23, 2016, at 10:20 p.m.

“There is no evidence that we have so far that would suggest the deceased victim is associated with crime or the Surrey gang conflict,” Staff Sergeant Jennifer Pound, of IHIT (Integrated Homicide Investigation Team) told the Now newspaper at the time.

Neither Sandhu, nor the other victim, had a criminal record. Pound said in 2016 that investigators believed that this shooting is linked to a conflict in Surrey but evidence suggested the victims may not have been the intended targets.

According to Crime Stoppers, Sandhu’s friend “has a family member who is involved in the conflict.”

Sandhu’s mom, Kal Sandhu, said her son was “very loving, caring, very respectful,” and “helpful, kindhearted.”

Pound said in 2016 that police “would like to remind individuals that just because you’re not directly involved in criminal activity or violence as a result of conflict does not mean that you’re immune to the associated risks.

“If you have friends or family members involved in this lifestyle,” she said, “you could very well become inadvertent collateral damage to these violent disputes.”